13/07/20

LU-VE PARTICIPATES IN THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH PROJECT "EASYGO" TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE

The EU-funded project within the Horizon 2020 programme will enable the multinational based in Varese to deepen its knowledge of new geothermal technologies, the use of which reduces greenhouse gas emissions in the generation of electricity.

Uboldo, 13 July 2020 – LU-VE Group, the Italian multinational listed on the MTA and the world's third-largest operator in the air heat exchanger sector, continues its commitment to combating climate change. The Group has been awarded participation in the international research project "EASYGO - Efficiency and Safety in Geothermal Operations" which will deal with the development of geothermal electricity production technology.

The project, financed by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 programme with a €3.4 million fund, represents an important opportunity for the company to deepen its knowledge of new technologies, the use of which allows the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in electricity production. In addition, it will allow LU-VE to further develop its Emeritus technology, a cooling device, patented and developed in collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Milan, that achieves 400% higher performance than traditional dry ventilated exchangers, with significant energy saving and noise reduction.

The leader of the project, directed by researcher Maren Brehme, is TU Delft (Delft University of Technology), the largest and oldest public technical university in the Netherlands, working alongside three other universities (ETH Zurich, RWTH Aachen and the Polytechnic University of Milan) and 10 international industrial partners, including LU-VE Group.

Geothermal energy will play a key role in the energy transition process as part of climate change mitigation: in this regard, how to operate a geothermal system as efficiently and safely as possible is one of the key challenges. The goal of EASYGO is to answer this question from different perspectives, integrating geology, geophysics, geochemistry, advanced thermodynamic modeling, and process engineering.

"Since 1986, ahead of our time, we have applied a policy of research, development and technical innovation with a particular focus on environmental issues. Today, more than ever, there is an urgent need to develop environmentally sustainable technologies that reduce pollution while maintaining high levels of efficiency. For this reason, we are immensely proud to contribute to this important project by working alongside researchers and experts from all over Europe”, commented Iginio Liberali, President of LU-VE Group. “"EASYGO represents an important opportunity for LU-VE, allowing us to deepen our knowledge of new green technologies that we can use for the development of our products. Our focus on sustainability has always been one of our hallmarks: research and investment in environmentally friendly solutions are the two key points that have enabled the Group's economic growth. We are increasing the use of natural refrigerant fluids (carbon dioxide, ammonia, and propane) with zero or very low ODP (ODP) and GWP (Global Warming Potential) in our heat exchangers, replacing hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). In 2004, LU-VE, the first in Europe, built a transcritical CO2 plant. Innovation and respect for the environment are in our DNA."